FCPS police chief emphasizes school remained safe during incident with gun on campus

Fayette County Public Schools has honored the actions of a district police officer who resolved an issue with a gun on campus while also apologizing to the campus community for conflicting statements about the severity of the incident, which occurred at Tates Creek Middle School last week.

In the post, FCPS police praised officer Jeremy Moore for resolving a “very intense threat of danger” at the school. Moore “responded within minutes and took appropriate action” to ensure the school remained safe.

After Monday’s social media post, a parent raised concern about the discrepancy between FCPS police’s statement and the way the incident was characterized by Principal Kelly Sirginnis. Sirginnis told families the student had no intent to harm others, but still emphasized weapons can’t be brought onto campus. This left the mother, Nicole Simpson, worried that the principal had “downplayed” the incident, she said to the Herald-Leader.

In another message to the campus community, FCPS Police Chief Martin Schafer emphasized that despite the language used in the Facebook post Monday, the school was kept safe and the issue lasted only 10 minutes.

“In an effort to recognize the great work of our law enforcement team, I used the phrase ‘intense threat of danger,’” Schafer said. “Words matter and I have learned that this internal recognition has been shared more broadly. I apologize if my choice of words caused any additional alarm or confusion.

“In Law Enforcement ‘intense threat of danger’ means that a situation has the potential to escalate causing harmful consequences to those involved. Thankfully, our officer responded with such urgency that it did not reach the level of a dangerous threat. The reality on campus was that our students and staff were never in immediate danger. This action prevented the threat of danger and maintained safety across the entire campus.”

Schafer reiterated the gun was never displayed and the student who brought the gun had no intent to harm others. Sirginnis had shared the same information in an earlier message to families.

In his message to the community, Schafer said good relationships help make FCPS safer, and that was evident during this incident.

“Throughout FCPS, relationships remain our #1 safety tool,” Schafer said. “Thursday’s was a result of a member of our school community feeling comfortable enough to ‘See Something, and Say Something.’ That culture of trust is what allowed my team to perform their duties with speed and precision.”

Why an FCPS parent was concerned about discrepancy in messages

Simpson said she felt there was a contradiction between school officials, and thought the initial Facebook post from police painted a much different picture of the incident than what Sirginnis said.

“So which one is it? A threat or not,” Simpson said.

Simpson said she’s concerned there aren’t metal detectors at the school, and she doesn’t feel like FCPS provides proper information about incidents.

Officer celebrated for ‘eliminating any danger’

The school police department post lauded Moore for “utilizing his ability to investigate and his ability to build positive connections with students,” and said he “gained valuable information on a particular threat that posed a danger to the school.”

“Without hesitation, he took action and safely resolved the situation, eliminating any danger to the campus,” the post said.

This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 5:00 AM.